Parksville farm hosts puppy yoga with Lagotto pups, truffle treats, meditation

Puppy yoga at The Truffle Activity Barn traded the usual studio setup for a rural reset: a 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. session with chilled drinks, a light truffle-infused snack, a slow yoga flow and a closing meditation wrapped in cozy blankets and warm lemongrass cloths. The price, $95, and the bring-your-own-mat format made it feel less like a drop-in class and more like a destination outing.

What gave the April 25 class its edge was the way the Lagotto Romagnolo puppies were folded into the session. Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism said the practice was built around carefully timed puppy appearances so the dogs could add playfulness without breaking the calm pace. Jill Sawchuck, identified by the listing as the instructor, brought 30 years of teaching experience to the barn, a detail that helped the event read as intentional rather than novelty-first.

The choice of breed mattered too. Lagotto Romagnolo dogs are an Italian breed that began as water retrievers and later became known for truffle hunting, and breed-history sources describe them as the only breed genetically selected for that work. The Truffle Farm leaned into that lineage by presenting the puppies as part of a restorative farm experience, not as props. The event page also showed the concept was being repeated, with an April 24 evening session for 6-week-old puppies, the April 25 afternoon class, and a May 6 evening session for 7-week-old puppies.

That repeated schedule makes the socialization claim worth taking seriously. UC Davis says a puppy’s critical social development period runs roughly from 3 to 14 weeks, while Purdue says early, positive socialization is one of the most effective ways to prevent fear and behavior problems later in life. Texas A&M also emphasizes socialization as a key part of raising emotionally healthy dogs. Put that alongside the carefully paced puppy introductions at The Truffle Activity Barn, and the class looks more like a controlled developmental exercise than a gimmick.

Still, the broader puppy-yoga world has faced real scrutiny. Italy banned puppy yoga on animal-welfare grounds in 2024, and the RSPCA has warned that the format can raise welfare concerns and even encourage irresponsible breeding. That tension gives this Parksville version its main test: whether the farm setting, the timed interactions and the calm finish truly support the puppies, or simply package welfare language into a polished tourism product. Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism, which serves Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, French Creek, Lighthouse Country and Arrowsmith Coombs Country, has plenty of reason to frame it as an experience. The harder question is whether the puppies benefit as much as the guests do.